NEW YORK — It sounds like Jabari Parker wants to go No. 2 to the Milwaukee Bucks instead of No. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Thursday's NBA draft.

"I have some comfort level with them, especially with them telling me, 'We want you,'" the Duke forward said. "I didn't get any real answers from the Cavs, so I'm just going with what I'm certain with."

It sounds like Andrew Wiggins wants to go No. 1 to the Cavs.

"That's just the competitive side of me, wanting to be above everybody else, not wanting anyone to go ahead of me. ... I still want to go No. 1," the Kansas swingman said.

Ever since Kansas center Joel Embiid was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot that required surgery, the debate over who should and will go No. 1 has come down to this: Parker and then Wiggins? Or Wiggins and then Parker?

"Both players have a chance to be special in this league. ... You can't go wrong with either one," NBA TV analyst Grant Hill said.

It's not a guarantee Wiggins and Parker will be the first two picks. Embiid remains a wild card, and as teams with the top 10 picks gather more medical information there is confidence Embiid will be able to play next season. The concern is Embiid's long-term health.

"I don't know that there's an easy answer to it," said ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, who thinks a healthy Embiid would have been the No. 1 pick.

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But because of their skill levels, Wiggins and Parker have become the de facto top two picks in several mock drafts. They are scorers, but they are viewed differently — Wiggins with the bigger upside and Parker with the ability to contribute more sooner.

"It's hard for me to be objective," said Hill, who also played at Duke and has interviewed Parker several times. "I think the world of Jabari. He's so versatile and the most skilled player in all of the draft. He can come in right away and be a 20-point scorer. He can come in and have an immediate impact on the team.

"Jabari Parker is the safest pick because he's NBA ready on the offensive end right now," Bilas said. "He's not nearly as good of a defender as Andrew Wiggins is. Wiggins is a superior athlete. Long, excels in transition, pretty decent shooter, but can get in the lane anytime he wants.

"He's got a second jump that is unequaled in this draft. A few guys get off the floor the first time as well as he does. Nobody in this draft gets off the floor the second time as quickly and as explosively as he does."

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Bilas said he would take Wiggins No. 1.

Both come into the draft with questions, too.

What is Parker's long-range potential? How high is his ceiling? Can he play small forward in the NBA?

Also, ESPN reported that Parker tanked his workout with the Cavs so they wouldn't draft him.

"I have too much pride to just waste other people's time," Parker said. "I come from Duke, and most importantly I come from a family with good values. I don't have time to waste other people's opportunities and the chances I have in front of me."

Parker also wanted to dispute reports that he was out of shape and a little too heavy.

"If you put a treadmill right here, we can have a contest," he said. "You all can judge that. That did surprise me, because I'm in the gym 24/7. I'm not a couch potato."

"Is he going to be the type of guy that's going to lead your team and go out there and not settle, and he's going to be the best player on the floor?" Bilas said. "That's still an open question with him."

Kansas coach Bill Self said that won't be an issue, and Wiggins is simply looking forward to what's next.

"You want to know what's going to happen because (Thursday) is the day that you find out your destiny and everything changes," Wiggins said. "You find out the city you're going to live in and where you're going to spend the next four years."

Milwaukee or Cleveland? Or another team? Parker and Wiggins will find out soon enough.